CNN Poll: Drop in liberal support pushes Obama approval rating down

Washington (CNN) – President Barack Obama's approval rating is down to 45 percent, driven in part by growing dissatisfaction on the left with the president's track record in office, according to a new national survey.

A CNN/ORC International Poll also indicates that the Republican "brand" is taking a beating in the minds of Americans.

The survey's Friday release comes as the Obama administration and top congressional officials continue talks on a potential deal tying roughly $3 trillion in new savings over the next decade to an increase in the nation's debt ceiling. If Congress and the President fail to raise the country's $14.3 trillion limit by August 2, Americans could face rising interest rates, a declining dollar and increasingly jittery financial markets, among other problems.

President Obama posted a 45 percent approval rating in a recent USA Today/Gallup poll, which is higher than expected, says Frank Newport, editor in chief of the Gallup Poll.

By Dave Cook, Staff writer / July 19, 2011

Compared with other recent presidents, President Obama's approval numbers are "overperforming," given the struggling economy and Americans' low levels of satisfaction with the direction of the country, says Frank Newport, editor in chief of the Gallup Poll.